Collapsible container partition and liner unit



Apx'ifi 24, 1953 w. c. GEORGE COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER PARTITION AND LINERUNIT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 6, 1947 HIS AT TORNEYS. I

Aprii 24, 1951 w. c. GEORGE p v COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER PARTITION ANDLINER UNIT Filed Oct. 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aprfifl 24, 1953 w. c.GEORGE 9 COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER PARTITION AND LINER UNIT Filed 001;. 6,1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG 7.

HIS ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 24-, 1951 COLLAPSIBLE CUNTAINER PARTITION AND LINER UNITWalter C. George, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Gaylord ContainerCorporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Maryland ApplicationCatcher 6, 1947, Serial No. 778,169

2 Claims.

This invention relates to partitions for containers, particularlycollapsible strip type partitions of the kind that are adapted whenopened or set-up to form a series of cells or compartments for bottlesor other articles.

The invention has for its principal object to provide a partition of theabove type having liner members for the side walls and/or bottom of thecontainer. lapsible partition and liner unit which may be stored orshipped in fiat compact form and readily set up and mounted in thecontainer. Qther objects are to provide for quickly and easily securingthe parts together without the use of stitching or mechanical fasteners,to provide for cross ventilation through the cells and to provide forincreased strength and durability and simplicity and cheapness ofconstruction. The invention consists in the collapsible containerpartition and liner unit and in the construction, combinations andarrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification andwherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. l is a perspective view of a collapsible container partition andliner unit embodying my invention, the unit being shown set up in acontainer indicated in dotted lines,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the set-up unit,

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view on the line 44 in Fig. 3,

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary horizontal sectional views on the lines 55and 6-6, respectively, in Fig. 3,

Fig. 7 is a side edge view of the collapsed partition and liner unit,

Figs. 8 and 9 are plan views looking at opposite sides of the collapsedunit; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of one of the partition strips.

Thev twenty-four cell collapsible container partition and liner unitshown in the accompanying drawings, comprises two counterpart partitionstrips A, two counterpart partition strips B, two counterpart partitionstrips C, two counterpart partition strips D and two counterpart linermembers E, all made of corrugated board, fiberboard or other bendablematerial. All of the partition strips are of the same width but increasein length from the strips A to the strips D. All of the partition stripsare provided with one or more Another object is to provide acolsubstantially S-shaped cross slits I and cut cross scores 2 extendingfrom the ends of said slits to the opposite side marginal edges of saidstrips, thereby forming two or more cross panels 3 in all of said stripsdepending on the length thereof. The reverse loops of the ends of theS-shaped slits l of the partition strips form tongues 4 on adjacentedges of the panels 3 thereof, adjacent tongues being offset crosswiseof said strips. At one end, the partition strips A, B and C are providedwith end panels 3a formed by substantially C-shaped cross slits la andcut cross scores 2a that extend from the ends of said slits to theopposite side marginal edges of said strips. The slits la form tongues4a on the inner edges of the panels 3a at one end of the strips A, B andC.

The partition strips are assembled by stacking or laying them flatwiseone on another with the strips A located one at the top and the other atthe bottom, the two strips B located next to each strip A, the twostrips C located one next to each strip D and the two strips D locatednext to one another and next to the strips C. The partition strips areoffset lengthwise in the stack with their transverse score lines inregister vertically. The strips of each pair A, B, C and D are reversedso that the corresponding tongues of the adjacent strips extendinopposite directions. With the strips thus arranged, the tongues 4 ofeach strip are adhesively or otherwise permanently secured flatwise tothe strip or strips in contact therewith, the tongues of each of theintermediate strips B, C and D being secured in alternation lengthwisefirst to one and then to the other strips in contact with opposite sidesthereof.

Each of the two liner members E of the container partition and linerunit is of rectangular shape and of a width corresponding substantiallyto the distance between two opposite side walls 5 of the container orcarton F for which the unit is designed; and the length of each of saidliner members corresponds substantially to the inside depth of saidcontainer plus one-half the distance between the two other opposite sidewalls 6 thereof. Each of the liner members E is divided by a transversescore line i into a side wall liner panel 8 and a bottom liner panel ll.As shown in the drawings, the side wall liner panels 3 have elongatedhand holes it therein adapted to register with similar hand holes H inthe two opposite side walls 6 of the container, the hand holes 253having flaps Hla along one longitudinal edge thereof.

The liner members E are preferably assembled with the partition stripsby placing one liner member at the bottom of the stack of strips at oneend thereof with its side wall liner panel 8 disposed directlytherebeneath and with its score line 7 extending along one longitudinalside edge of said stack and with its bottom liner panel 9 extendingoutwardly beyond said side edge. The other liner member E is similarlyarranged on top of the stack of partition strips at the other endthereof. With the liner members E thus positioned in the stack, the sidewall liner panels 8 are located opposite the end panels 3a of the stripsA, B and C and these end panels, together with their tongues la, have asuitable adhesive applied to the outs-r thereof and are thus permanentlysecured fiatwise to the inner faces of said side wall liner panels atthe same time that the partition strips are secured together by thetongues 4 thereof.

The collapsed container partition and liner unit is adapted to be set upby simultaneously turning the two liner members E 90 in the samedirection, thus bending all of the partition strips zigzag fashion atright angles along the score lines 2 and 2a thereof to form a series ofcells or compartments. of the liner members E are then bent inwardlytowards each other into substantially edgewise abutting relation beneaththe unfolded or setup partition and thus close the bottoms of the cellstherein. The set-up partition and liner unit is then placed within thecontainer or carton F with the bottom liner panels 9 seated on thebottom of the container and with the side wall liner panels 8 seatingagainst the two opposite side walls 6 thereof and with the hand holes inof said side wall liner panels in register with the hand holes I! insaid two opposite side walls of said container.

In the set-up position of the hereinbefore described partition and linerunit, the tongues 4 and id of the partition strips are not bent butremain in their original planes; that is, the plane of the panels fromwhich they project. The tongues. however, are separated from the tongueforming slits i and la when adjacent panels of the partition strips arebent at right angles to one another into cell forming relation, therebyforming horizontal openings [2 and 12a through the panels 3 at thecorners of the cells. The tongues are located at the corners of thecells and extend straight from one cell into the other through theopenings !2 and 12a vacated by the tongues.

The hereinbefore described collapsible container partition and linerunit has several important advantages. It is simple and inexpensive andcan be readily assembled in initial collapsed flat form for shipment orstorage and may be quickly and easily erected or set up merely byturning or swinging the end panels So on the hinges formed by the endscore lines 2a of the strips A, B and C' until said members are broughtinto parallel relation. The tongues t of each partition strip arepermanently secured fiatwise to the strips in contact and lie andstraight in the planes of the panels from which they project and againstthe panels to which they are connected, thereby increasing the strengthand rigidity of the erected partition and preventing the strips fromcurling or bowing. The strips associated with the liner members E arealso permanently secured flatwise thereto. The tongues reinforce andstiffen the cells at the corners thereof; and the openings l2 formed inthe panels by the tongues struck therefrom pro- The bottom liner panels9 vvide both longitudinal and cross ventilation through the set-uppartition.

The side wall liner panels 8 of the liner members E serve to stiffen andstrengthen the corresponding side walls of the container; and the bottomliner panels 9 of said liner members extend beneath the set-up partitionand close the bottoms of the cells thereof and also reinforce andstiffen the bottom of the container. These bottom liner panels alsoserve to cushion bottles or other breakable articles when they aredropped into the cells of the partition.

Obviously the hereinbefore described container partition and liner unitadmits of considerable modification without departing from theinvention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the precisearrangements shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. A collapsible partition and liner unit for a container comprising aplurality of superimposed partition strips and liner members allinitially connected together in flat form for movement relative to oneanother to bring said partition strips into position to form a pluralityof cells and said liner members into position crosswise of the partitionstrips at two opposite sides of said partition in the cell formingposition thereof to form liners for the corresponding side walls of saidcontainers, said strips being provided with cross slits and cross scorelines extending from the ends of said strips to the longitudinal sideedges of said strips, said slits and score lines dividing said stripsinto a plurality of bendable cell forming cross panels with tongues andopenings along the adjacent edges thereof, the tongues of e on stripbeing secured fiatwise to adjacent panels of the strip or strips incontact therewith and the endmost panels of some of the strips beingsecured flatwise to the inner faces of the liner members, said tonguesbeing located adjacent to the corners of the cells in the cell formingposition of said partition with the tongues of the cell forming panelsextending straight through said openings from each cell into an adjacentcell.

2. A collapsible partition and liner unit for a container comprising aplurality of superimposed partition strips and liner members allinitially connected together in flat form for movement relative to oneanother to bring said partition strips into position to form a pluralityof cells and said liner members into position crosswise of the partitionstrips at two opposite sides of said partition in the cell formingposition thereof to form liners for the corresponding side walls of saidcontainer, said strips being divided into a plurality of bendable cellform ing cross panels with tongues and openings along the adjacent edgesthereof, the tongues of each strip being secured flatwise to adjacentpanels of the strip or strips in contact therewith and the endmostpanels of some of the strips being secured fiatwise to the inner facesof the liner members, said tongues being located adjacent to the cornersof the cells in the cell forming position of said partition with thetongues of the cell forming panels extending straight through saidopenings from each cell into an adjacent cell.

WALTER C. GEORGE.

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED Number The followingreferences are of record in th 1,976,530 file of this patent: UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Number Name Date 380,960 Walker Apr. 10, 1888 Number657,285 Hansell Sept. 4, 1900 521,981 893,652 Reber July 21, 19081,137,732 Alfred May 4 1915 10 Name Date Verhoven Oct. 9, 1934Freshwaters May 26, 1942 Rice Apr. 18, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country DateGreat Britain June 5, 1940

